Urban Meyer and Earl Bruce OSU Fundraiser
Several summers ago Teresa was commissioned to paint these two famous Ohio State football coaches for a fundraiser in Columbus, OH. Urban Meyer coached OSU from 2012 to 2018, and his friend and mentor, Earle Bruce, coached there from 1979 to 1987. Earle Bruce passed away in 2018 at the age of 87 several years after the fundraiser took place. Teresa was not given any specifics about the painting so she painted both coaches at their current ages. Earle Bruce looked exactly like himself. Teresa was very happy with the painting. However, the day after she emailed it to the fundraiser's organizing team Teresa received a phone call. She had to make changes. She was told to repaint Coach Bruce at a much younger age. She repainted him as you see him in the painting in his forties or fifties. Coach Bruce was thrilled with it and had it installed in the office he still kept at OSU!
Teresa wants to add that she received this commission upon the recommendation of a former Miami University student, Gina Piacentino, whom Teresa taught and nominated for a Presidential Award which Gina won and received at a ceremony in 2005. She and John T. Petters (see story below) were in Teresa's Spanish class together at the time of John's death in Florence. As a result Teresa became a friend of Gina's family including her brother Rocco and her father Mike who later commissioned multiple paintings from Teresa.
John T. Petters - Miami University
This collage is the story of Teresa's former student at Miami University in Oxford, OH. John T. Petters was killed in Florence, Italy, over Spring Break in 2004, the semester he was in Teresa's Spanish class. Teresa was also John's mentor in the area of diversity and inclusion. John and she had plans to begin a movement on the campus upon his return from Italy. After John's death she founded an organization called the MUvement with the goal of increasing awareness and understanding of others. In addition, Teresa painted John as he was about to bungee jump in Australia months before his death. Teresa gave this painting to his family and has the collage which you see above in her collection. It has a small copy of the painting on the left side of the collage and depicts his life and loves as well as his desire to help bring about positive change not only at Miami but in the world.
